Horde-survival RTS Cataclismo is making the jump out of early access today with its 1.0 launch. A destruction-oriented combination of dark fantasy tower defense and piecemeal base building reminiscent of Lego, the Digital Sun strategy game first arrived in July 2024 and has since earned itself a ‘very positive’ Steam rating, with 91% of user reviews recommending it. Following more than a dozen major updates since, it’s now feature complete for launch, and its Steam release is being joined by GOG and the Epic Games Store.
Published by Hooded Horse, the studio behind several of the best indie strategy games in recent years including Manor Lords and Against the Storm, Cataclismo is a stylish RTS game where you design fortresses from the ground up, building them brick by brick. You must carefully manage your resources and people to hold out against regular onrushing hordes, and can employ real-world siege defense tactics to help survive.
Since its early access launch, Digital Sun has continued to deliver regular updates, with a wealth of quality-of-life upgrades and new features introduced over time. Skirmish modes offer a more easily accessible, short-form alternative to the likes of the main campaign, while a freeform sandbox setting lets you experiment and build to your heart’s content with no limitations on resources or maintenance costs. Alternatively, hard and extreme difficulties push things to suitably vicious levels for anyone seeking a challenge.
Cataclismo 1.0 introduces another biome, The Depths – a brutal zone far below the sea of Mist where light becomes an even more essential resource. Your units won’t be able to attack threats out in the shadows, so you’ll have to make the most of what little respite is available. This zone will play home to the final act of the single-player campaign, with six additional missions rounding out the story mode, and it will also be available in survival and skirmish modes, along with the level editor.
Survival mode has also reached its final form, with a range of upgrades based on player testing and some new roguelite mechanics to spice up your runs. Protagonist Iris Renegate has had a makeover, and now has access to new skills, which you’ll need as you face fresh threats such as the pearlescent ‘Opaline Horrors’ that have grown even more vicious than their counterparts thanks to their growth far from the reaches of light.
Cataclismo 1.0 is out now on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, priced at $29.99 / £24.99. There’s also a 35% discount to celebrate the launch, meaning you’ll pay $19.49 / £16.24 if you buy it by Wednesday April 2. Head here to take a look for yourself and build something that will stand the test of time.
For more of the best indie games you might have missed in 2025, be sure to check in with our updated list, and don’t forget the best building games as well.
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